Track grading arrangement



Filed March 15, 1965 INVENTORS Ham Z PLAEQ Jose? W60 REF} United States Patent 3,324,804 TRACK GRADING ARRANGEMENT Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both of Johannesgasse 3, Vienna I, Austria Filed Mar. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 439,782 Claims priority, application Austria, Mar. 16, 1964, A 2,293/64 8 Claims. (Cl. 1047) The present invention relates to improvements in track grading, and more particularly to the type of arrangement wherein a mobile track grading machine is continuously moved along a track, preferably from tie to tie, from a previously graded track section into an adjacent track section to be graded, with a reference line extending from a point on the machine above the graded track section forwardly over the adjacent track section to be graded.

Machines of this general type are very well known and apparatus of this class designed to control the superelevation of graded tracks, particularly in curved track sections, have been disclosed, for instance, in our US. Patents Nos. 3,111,907 and 3,136,065,

During a continuous track grading operation with machines of the indicated class, it becomes at times necessary to raise one of the track rails gradually from its straight horizontal line to a superelevated position, particularly in a curved track section. During such a transition from a straight line to the desired superelevation, the one rail must be gradually lifted from the grade of the straight track section to the grade of superelevation in the arcuate track section.

It is the primary object of the present invention to control this gradual lifting of one rail and thus to provide the desired profiling of the track in curved track sections.

It is a specific object of this invention to make such control fully automatic and free of the need for human supervision, thus expediting the grading operation and reducing the need for personnel.

The above and other objects and advantages are accomplished in accordance with the invention by mounting an odometer means for movement with the track grading machine, which measures the distance of the movement of the machine along the track. A gearing couples the odometer means with a control means which controls the superelevation of the track section to be graded, and means is mounted between the gearing and the control means for gradually adjusting the control means in response to the distance measured by the odometer means for gradually changing the superelevation.

The present invention is advantageously used in an arrangement of the type described in our US. Patent No. 3,136,065 although it is not limited thereto. More particularly, the reference line used with the arrangement of this invention is preferably a beam of radiated energy, such as a beam of visible light or infrared radiation, although a tension member, such as described in the patent, may also be used for this purpose.

The control means for controlling the superelevation of the track section to be graded may usefully be a pendulum pivotally and swingably supported on the track grading machine in a vertical plane perpendicular to, and transverse of, the track, such as described, for instance, in our US. Patent No. 3,111,907. As fully described and illustrated therein, an electrical contact element is carried on the pendulum and an electrical control circuit including at least one other electrical contact element is operably engageable by the first-named contact element upon swinging of the pendulum to control the lifting stroke of a respective track rail and thus to control the track superelevation.

Since major features forming part of the present invention are thus conventional, the novel features of this invention will become sufficiently apparent to the skilled in the art by reference to the following description of the novel features thereof and only such conventional parts as cooperate therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing only some essential portions of a track grading arrangement useful in the practice of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the novel mechanism taken in the direction of line IIII of FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIG. 1 and the general arrangement, there is shown a conventional mobile track grading machine 1 moving on wheels 4 on rails 2 of a previously graded track section. The track superelevation control means 3 is mounted on a portion of machine 1 forwardly Of the wheels and above a track section to be graded in relation to a reference line 6, in a generally well known manner. As schematically indicated, the illustrated reference line is a light beam transmitted from a forward station (not shown) in an ungraded track section to receiver 7 supported on a support rod 5 resting on a rail of the graded track section. In a generally well known manner, an element represented only by its horizontal support member 6' rests on a rail of the track section to be graded and cooperates with the reference line to determine the grade of the latter track section, i.e. the lifting stroke of the track rails during the grading operation.

As indicated in FIG. 1, when the track enters an armate section requiring the usual superelevation, one of the rails 2 must be gradually raised over the transition distance L from a horizontal straight line to the superelevated grade spaced from the horizontal plane by distance u.

FIG. 2 illustrates the control mechanism used in accordance with the present invention to effectuate this gradual raising of the one rail automatically, as the machine advances along the track.

Since the track lifting means forms no part of the present invention, apart from its combination with the novel control mechanism for its operation, it has not been illustrated and may obviously take any suitable form. Useful track lifting means are shown, for instance, in US. Patents Nos. 2,734,463, 2,847,943, 3,101,676 and 3,103,182. Any such means may be controlled by the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2.

As shown therein, a pendulum 3 cooperates with a scale 8 indicating the superelevation of the track upon swinging of the pendulum. The pendulum carries a contact element 9 at its outer end for operably engaging a respective one of the two contact elements 12, 13 when the pendulum swings from a zero position wherein the contact element 9 is opposite an insulated portion of the contact element carrier member 11. This insulated portion insulates the contact elements 12, 13 from each other and, as more fully shown in our US. Patent No. 3,111,- 907, the swinging of the pendulum into the one or the other direction and corresponding contact with contact element 12 or 13 will determine which of the two rails will be raised whereby this type of mechanism may be used for control of track superelevations in either direction. The control circuit lines 12 and 13 enable control of the rail lifting, i.e. as soon as contact 9 is opposite the insulated portion of the contact carrier, in its zero position, the electrical control circuit is broken and the lifting of the one rail stops.

According to the invention, the contact carrier member 11 is movable in respect of contact element 9. The contact elements 12 and 13 are preferably sliding contacts and the contact element 9 may advantageously constitute a variable potentiometer With elements 12, 13 so as to indicate the extent of the angular movement of the pendu lum in a superelevated track section.

As shown in FIG. 2, an odometer 14 is mounted on a rail for movement with the track grading machine 1 and measures the distance of the machines movement along the track. A flexible transmission transmits the rotary motion of the odometer to a gearing 16. A coupling 17 connects the gearing 16 to bevel gearing 18 which, in turn, rotates a threaded axle 10' carrying the carrier member 11 of contact element-s 12, 13. These contact elements constitute control means controlling the superelevation of the track section to be graded, and the threaded axle 10, whose rotation .moves the contact elements 12, 13 in respect of contact element 9, constitutes a means for gradually adjusting the control means in response to the distance measured by the odometer means 14 for gradually changing the superelevation.

The transmission ratio of gearing 16 is adjustable in any suitable manner so that the control mechanism may be adapted to the superelevation required by different track curves, the degree of superelevation and thus also the length L of the transition between straight and curved track section changing with the radius of the track arc.

The coupling 17 may be disengaged, thereby disconnecting the odometer from the axle 10, if desired. A hand-wheel 19 may be provided for manually adjusting the control means, such additional adjusting means being connected to bevel gearing 18 by bevel gearing 20 and gear 21.

With a control mechanism of this type, the superelevation of any desired track are may be automatically controlled to increase gradually from zero to the desired grade over a predetermined length L of the track.

\Vhile the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment, it will be understood that modifications and variations will occur to the skilled in art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. A track grading arrangement including a mobile track grading machine, including a reference line extending firom a point on the machine above a graded track section forwardly over an adjacent track section to be graded, a control means controlling the superelevation of the track section to be graded, an odometer means mounted for movement with the track grading machine and measuring the distance of the movement of the machine along the track, a gearing coupling the odometer means with the control means, and means mounted between the gearing and the control means for gradually adjusting the control means in response tothe distance measured by the odometer means for gradually changing the superelevation.

2. The track grading arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a pendulum pivotally and swingably supported on the track grading machine in a vertical plane perpendicular to, and transverse of, the track, an electrical contact element carried on said pendulum, an electrical control circuit including another electrical contact element ope-rably engage-able by the firstnamed contact element upon swinging of the pendulum, the adjusting means including a means for moving the other electrical contact element in respect of the firstnamed electrical contact element.

3. The track grading 'arrangemen of claim 2, wherein said adjusting means for moving the other electrical contact element consists of a threaded axle carrying said other contact element and moving the same upon rotation of the axle.

4. The track grading arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a pendulum pivotally and swingably supported on the track grading machine in a vertical plane perpendicular to, and transverse of, the track, an electrical contact element carried on the pendulum, an'electrical control circuit including two electrical contat elements respetively operably engageable by the first-named contact element upon swinging of the pendulum, a carrier member supporting the two last-named electrical contact elements insulated from one another, the insulated portion of the carrier member constituting a zero position in relation to the first-named electrical contact element, and the adjusting means including a means for moving the carrier member in respect of the first-named contact element.

5. The track grading arrangement of claim 4, wherein the two eletrical contact elements are sliding contacts.

6. The track grading arrangement of claim 5, wherein the two electrical contact elements and the first-named contact element constitute variable potentiometer s.

7. The track grading arrangement of claim 1, further comprising means adjusting the transmission ratio of the gearing.

8. The track grading arrangement of claim 1, further comprising means for disconnecting the gearing from the control means and additional means for adjusting the control means when the gearing is disconnected.

No references cited.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TRACK GRADING ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING A MOBILE TRACK GRADING MACHINE, INCLUDING A REFERENCE LINE EXTENDING FROM A POINT ON THE MACHINE ABOVE A GRADED TRACK SECTION FORWARDLY OVER AN ADJACENT TRACK SECTION TO BE GRADED, A CONTROL MEANS CONTROLLING THE SUPERELEVATION OF THE TRACK SECTION TO BE GRADED, AN ODOMETER MEANS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE TRACK GRADING MACHINE AND MEASURING THE DISTANCE OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE MACHINE ALONG THE TRACK, A GEARING COUPLING THE ODOMETER MEANS WITH THE CONTROL MEANS, AND MEANS MOUNTED BETWEEN THE GEARING AND THE CONTROL MEANS FOR GRADUALLY ADJUSTING THE CONTROL MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE DISTANCE MEASURED BY THE ODOMETER MEANS FOR GRADUALLY CHANGING THE SUPERELEVATION. 